Warriors of the Gods
by Life Aspirations
Summary: Kasumi Sato learns she must help save the world when she is told she is a Warrior of the Gods. She joins Yori Nakamura and her companions to defeat the evil lurking in their world. An original story with original characters.
1. Introduction

Above the Yuya Forest, the moon is half. In its dim light, three young women surround the warmth of the autumn-colored flames from the campfire. The brown-haired woman, Yori Nakamura, stars pensively and deeply into the fire while scratching her pet bat behind the ear. The bat hangs from her finger. The other two discuss the main event of the day. Sometime after noon the same day, a large white beam, that only Yori could see, revealed itself. Yori described the white beam as marble-colored pillar, but of some kind of magic. The pillar of marble light had a light blue tint to it.

"Do you think it's her?" Seiko Hayashi demands of her companion, Atsuko Tanaka. At Seiko's side is a golden brown eagle with a yellow beak that fades to black at the tip. At this time, the eagle is asleep on the perch Seiko made for him.

"Well, of course," Atsuko laughs. "It's not everyday Yori sees a white beam shooting off into the heavens. It's about time the silly thing showed itself. We've been waiting for four years now." A glossy yellow snake winds around her arm and shoulder, wide-awake. Atsuko strokes her calmly as she slithers around, watching the forest alertly.

Seiko tilts her head down to think, her shining silver hair falling into her ocher- brown eyes. "What does this mean, Atsuko?"

"It's simple, Seiko," Atsuko smiles, her pastel blonde hair brushing the side of her pale cheek and part of her snake's body. "We go find her."

"And then what? What happens?" Seiko asks.

"Well," Atsuko sighs, standing to ready herself for bed, "from what I've read and heard, it'll call the Spirits from the other worlds and we will have to fight against them." The snake remains balanced on Atsuko's shoulders.

Yori isn't content with her answer. "I do not want to fight anyone if I do not have to. Must we meet her? If we do not, the Spirits from the other worlds will not awaken and then we will not have to fight."

Atsuko shakes her head. "You don't understand, Yori. We have to fight. It's the only reason we exist. If we don't fight, the human race will disappear because the Spirits will suck the life from them. They are already awake, some of them. We were sent here to protect the humans."

Yori and Seiko are silent. Yori tries thinking of a way to beat the system, to not have to fight the demons and Spirits. She fails at every turn. Still, she does not accept they will have to kill and destroy the Spirits, no matter how nasty they could be. Seiko, on the other hand, is ready to fight at any second and rather excited about the whole idea.

"We aren't human anymore. We're angels, sent by the Gods. Our own Spirits have changed into a more powerful being, more powerful than any human could ever be." Atsuko holds her hand to her chest, her blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder like a gorgeous waterfall. "As a group of three, we are weak. The fourth piece will complete us and we will be able to take on anything." Atsuko continues, "Tomorrow, we rise early and search for the fourth piece. Now, let's get ready for bed. What a long day we have for us tomorrow." She places her snake in a small cushioned barrel and she coils up. Yori tosses her bat into the air to let her feed on the bugs flying around the fire. Seiko places her eagle into a homemade cage that is only meant for traveling. The eagle doesn't like the cage, but he sits in it anyway because he knows that Seiko wants him in it.

Finally, the fire is left, burning itself out, as the three rest their heads on cloth bags of grass and keep their bodies warm with cowhide blankets.


	2. Chapter 1

Kasumi Sato leaves her school doors for the last time. From this day on, she is a woman, a high school graduate. Never again will she need to attend high school classes or eat disgusting school lunches. Never again will she be picked on and tormented by the populars in her school. Never again will she have to live with her mother, her annoying mother, always pressuring her to marry into a rich family.

A sense of euphoria surrounds her. It brightens her cheeks and shines her midnight hair. Her russet eyes glow with a certain happiness that no one else in the entire country can feel. She feels like prancing and singing as she walks through the park.

"Kasumi Sato..." She stops in her tracks. Her eyes fade, her hair falls motionless, and the color drains from her face. Her breath is shallow and slow. She is frozen.

"Kasumi Sato..." a voice says. "A holy body... for the Gods... to utilize in a spectacular and honorable way..."

Kasumi sees a white figure outlined in blue walking towards her. She believes it to be wearing bed sheets. It has feathery, light blue wings. The woman's face is just above her height. She watches as the woman's hair turns grey to black and grows to the same length as her own. The woman grows shorter, her skin tone changes to match Kasumi's. Kasumi stares, unable to move, unable to run, unable to even scream for help, as the woman's eyes changes red, the color of her own eyes. Her nose, mouth and face change to look just like her own. Kasumi thinks she is looking into a mirror. Her lungs constrict and she is being choked. She can't breathe.

"Kasumi Sato," the woman speaks. "I am Youko, an angel of the Gods. I have been sent to you, the fourth holiest of beings, to protect the human race."

Kasumi, terrified by the angel's presence, can only stare.

"Do not have fear, Kasumi Sato. I will not harm you. I will protect you. I will be with you forever. Never will you be alone again, or have to be afraid of anything. From this moment on, you are no longer human. You are a Warrior of the Gods, part human and part angel. I will soon grant you my Power of Water. Use it well, Kasumi Sato."

The wings on the angel fold away and she walks into, stepping inside, Kasumi. A force shoots throughout Kasumi's body and a white beam from her chest soars into the sky, making a connection with the atmosphere. Kasumi feels air enter her lungs again and her heart pump even stronger than before. Her hearing is sharp and her sense of smell is critical. She feels like a new person.

Within a few seconds, the feelings are gone as well as the beam from her chest. Kasumi is on her hands and knees on the ground. She grips at the grass. A bead of sweat drips onto her sleeve. She pants loudly.

Kasumi asks herself if it was a dream, a hallucination. She touches her sweaty face. Hair clings to her cheeks and forehead. Staring up at her is a light blue frog with purple legs and arms. It croaks, blinks, and then shifts its position and stares longer. Kasumi backs away and stands, steadying herself, and begins to walk again, keeping an eye on the sky. She is scared, confused and yearns to go home.

The walk home was the most strange. Kasumi swears she heard someone, or something, whispering to her in a different language. She turned several times to see if someone was following her, but no one was there. As soon as she shut the door to her home, she locked it and ran upstairs. She hid herself in the corner until she fell asleep.

Kasumi's mother wakes her.

"How long have you been asleep, Kasumi!" she interrogates.

"Mama, I had the strangest thing happen today!" Kasumi says. Her mother only waves her hand.

"None of your nonsense, Darling. I only came up here to tell you that dinner will be ready soon. Rice pudding and seasoned chicken. Also, Masaru Kudo came by today. He would like to meet you tomorrow in the park. He has business with you."

Kasumi grunts. "Why, Mama! He only wants to marry me! He's too old."

"How dare you say something so inconsiderate of such a nice young man!" her mother scolds her daughter. "I'd rather you marry him than some poor child." She walks out of the room.

Kasumi growls and slams herself down onto her bed, folding her arms, grumbling to herself.

"Stupid... Masaru... he's not even good-looking."

_Respect is one of the first steps to friendship, Kasumi Sato._

The voice came from nowhere and reverberates throughout Kasumi's head. She jumps back into the corner and hits her head on the wall.

_Oh! Careful, Kasumi Sato._

"What's going on?" Kasumi says aloud.

_No need to talk audibly. We communicate through our thoughts, Kasumi Sato._

"Stop calling me by my full name," Kasumi orders.

_What shall I call you then?_

"Kasumi," she says.

_Why do you still wonder who I am, Kasumi? I told you my name and you know what I am._

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

The voice sighs. _I told you, we communicate through our thoughts. You don't need to talk aloud to me, Kasumi. I can hear you in your head, just like you can hear me speaking to you. Try it._

"Okay..." Kasumi is still unwilling and confused. Why did the voice rest quiet for such a long time and why is it now deciding to come to life? Like this? Kasumi thought.

_Yes, just like that, Kasumi. I remained quiet because I had to situate myself to fit to your body. I have spoken up because I am fit to your body now._

_The whispering I heard earlier, was that you?_ Kasumi thinks.

_Yes, it was me. Some of it was just me talking to myself and some of it was magic so I would cling to your soul, Kasumi._

_Quit saying my name so often._ Kasumi wonders what the angel's name is.

_My name is Youko. Do you not remember the walk in the park today? Or did I accidentally knock out your memory center for that portion of time? I've done that before..._

_What do you mean you've done that before?_

Youko sighs. _It's a really long story. I mean, really quite long. Three or four centuries worth. And I'd rather just wait till we find the other three to explain._

_Other three?_ Kasumi speculates.

_Ugh,_ Youko grunts. _I hate new bodies... I'll have to explain soon. Now is not the time. You seem hungry and tired._

"Kasumi!" her mother calls. "Come get your dinner!"

"Okay, Mama!" Kasumi yelled back. So you just stay in my head, right?

Youko laughs. _Of course. I can't come out. I'll just be in the background, watching your memories and dreams to get to know you. _

_But that's private stuff!_

_We are two beings as one. Therefore, we can know whatever we want about each other. Tonight you'll dream some of my life experiences, if you can call them that. However, I will not be able to show you where I came from. Only passed memories of other Warriors, just like yourself. Now, Kasumi Sato. Go eat your dinner. Just think my name if you want me._

And then Youko's voice is gone, causing Kasumi to feel half-empty and alone. Quickly, to avoid the lonely feeling, she goes to eat dinner with her mother. After dinner, she crawls into bed.


End file.
